The media artists union SAG-AFTRA has voted to expand its ongoing Hollywood strike to encompass the games industry. In …

Key issues up for negotiation include pay and conditions, but also “protections against unrestrained use of artificial intelligence”, specifically the impact upon performance capture artists.

The companies involved in the negotiations include Activision, Disney, EA, Epic Games, Insomniac, Take 2, and Warner Bros.

“It has been nearly a year since SAG-AFTRA’s video game contract, the Interactive Media Agreement, was extended beyond the original expiration date as we negotiated with the companies for critical terms SAG-AFTRA members need,” the statement explains.

“Unfortunately, throughout the negotiations, the companies have failed to address those needs. For this reason, the negotiating committee and National Board unanimously agreed that the union should have a member-approved strike authorisation in hand when bargaining resumes on 26th September.”

  • @echo64English
    75•10 months ago

    Nice nice, worker rights and less AI in video games. Win win.

    • @FoggyfroggyEnglish
      32•10 months ago

      Workers rights absolutely. Pay your human workers even while using ai to make a great product. AI didn’t do anything to me, it’s how the companies decide to use it.

      • @echo64English
        4•10 months ago

        Oh yeah I’m sure they will use the ai to pay human workers as well. You definitely know that if they are allowed to use ai they won’t use it in a way that means they can stop paying humans and can just have ais generate everything all whist delivering a lower quality product to the customer.

        It’s a win win, as long as you are an executive or a shareholder.

    • @[email protected]English
      1•10 months ago

      I don’t know… this is a development industry. I think this will just accelerate the move to AI.

      • EtherealMoon English
        -6•10 months ago

        I am potentially okay with this. The entertainment industry has been creatively bankrupt for too long. Actors will move to more independent work, more interesting and experimental content will get made, corporate will advance AI technology. Win-win?

    • @PixlbabbleEnglish
      0•10 months ago

      Or more Ai as a cash incentive. It’s already an industry that creates npc’s, Ai will improve this, Indy’s might just sit there and craft perfect Ai actors and license them out.

      • @echo64English
        4•10 months ago

        Hey voice actors, take this five bucks today so we can make your job vanish tomorrow, it’s a win win! For us. Not you. This guy thinks you should do it though because we already… make npcs? That you currently voice.

        • @PixlbabbleEnglish
          1•10 months ago

          I just think it’s inevitable that we will see fully voiced and interactive ai npc companions. I’m not saying it’s good or bad, I’m in a union and I’m pro worker but this is tech and I think tech is gonna tech.

          • @echo64English
            1•10 months ago

            It’s inevitable if you give up and let companies do whatever they want yes. It’s not if you get them to sign papers and lobby for regulation to protect workers.

            I don’t understand this defeatist mentality at all sorry.

      • @Katana314English
        5•10 months ago

        It won’t lift up everyone, but the people that it will help are in any normal classification considered workers.